Mid-winter activities abound for MCA

By Jeff Margolis

Pursuant to the latest directives from the CDC and Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, all indoor MCA activities have been canceled. Selected programs will be conducted via Zoom until further notice. Please check our weekly e-blasts for further information and updates.

While the current omicron virus variant has led us to modify venues, MCA continues to offer a wide variety of activities for members. Please keep in mind that all outdoor events and activities will continue as usual. For information about a specific event or activity, please contact the activity coordinator or MCA President Les Nizin at mcanaplespresident2021@gmail.com.

Below is a listing of several of the activities scheduled for the month of February. Members can register for all events through the MCA website or from a link in the e-blast.

Film series

MCA’s renowned Documentary Film Series continues on Feb. 1 with a showing of the film, “Determined: The Story of Avraham Perlmutter.” Based on a book written by his daughter, Keren Perlmutter, the film focuses on how Avraham outwitted the Nazis and his coming to America. The trailer for this film is available on the MCA website. Please check e-blasts to see if this film will be streamed or shown at Temple Shalom.

Science discussion

The Science Discussion Group will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. The topic, led by MCA member Ron Yasbin, Ph.D., will be “DNA Repair and Human Disease.” Dr. Yasbin is a retired scientist, professor and dean. Program leaders are Bob Davidson and Mel Kaplan. For more information, contact Bob Davidson at rsdavidson1@gmail.com.

Lifestyles and health discussion

On Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m., the Lifestyles and Health Discussion Group will present its monthly program. The topic for this month is “How to make your blood vessels healthy.”

The group moderator is Dr. Jerry Kumin.

Book discussion

The popular MCA Book Discussion Group will have its monthly get-together on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 2:30 p.m. The selection for this month is “Checkmate in Berlin,” by Giles Martin.

The book is “a gripping account of the history among former allies when Germany and Berlin were carved up after World War II. The discussion leader will be Larry Harris. The program coordinator is Stan Farb, who can be reached at stan4mignon@earthlink.net.

Financial health discussion

The recently formed Men’s Financial Health Discussion Group will have its virtual meeting on Friday, Feb. 11 at 9:30 a.m. The program speaker will be investor rights attorney Christopher Vernon, who will discuss “Detecting and Avoiding Investment Fraud.” Don’t become a victim; protect your assets. The program coordinator is Michael Feldman. Register once for the entire series.

Israel discussion

The long-running and always enlightening Israel Discussion Group will meet (via Zoom) on Monday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. This ongoing program is co-chaired by Israel Advocacy chairman Harvey Cohen and Colin Lewis. This is session number three of five scheduled for this season.

The next installment of the monthly lecture series will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 10:30 a.m. Long-time MCA lecturer Steve Schreier will present a program titled “The ’60s to the ’90s, the Emergence of Jews in Film.” Steve will examine the portrayal of Jews and the Holocaust in film as well as the active role Jews have played in the film industry.

Medical discussion

The MCA Medical Discussion Group will hold its next meeting (via Zoom) on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. The topic will be “Understanding common problems and concerns with the urinary tract,” with guest presenter Dr. Jeff Morgenstern. For more information, contact group leader, Charles Siegel, at csiegel2549@hotmail.com.

Important notice. As of press time, no determination has been made regarding the February luncheon at Audubon Country Club. Please check the MCA e-blast for updated information.

New members to MCA are always welcome. Annual dues are $90 and include membership in Jewish Federation of Greater Naples.

For more information about MCA activities and programs, or to submit proposals for new activities, feel free to contact MCA president Les Nizin at mcanaplespresident2021@gmail.com.